Apple orchards to take a new look

Results of experiments by the Department of agriculture could completely change the appearance of the apple orchard in the next decade. The normal orchard scene will become hedgerows of chemically-thinned, irrigated, red varieties on dwarfing or semi-dwarfing rootstocks receiving just the right amount of fertiliser, and areas between rows will be mown, or sprayed with herbicide. The clean cultivated, square-planted, vase-shaped tree will slowly disappear

Delayed foliation in apple trees

DELAYED foliation refers to the late leafing out and production of small leaves by fruit trees. However, the weak and protracted blossoming which precedes the appearance of the leaves has more serious consequences for it may lead to a reduced set of fruit

Chemical thinning controls biennial bearing in apples

Department of Agriculture experiments have shown that biennial bearing of apples can be controlled by chemical thinning, but both winter and spring weather conditions must be taken into account when the need for spraying is assessed. BIENNIAL BEARING is a regular cycle in which each heavy crop of fruit is followed by a light crop, or, in extreme cases, no crop at all

Spray thinning of Japanese plums

THE hand thinning of Japanese plums is the most tedious work which the orchardist is called upon to undertake so that any method of crop reduction other than by hand should be welcome. Growers may, therefore, be pleased to know that in experiments conducted by the Department of Agriculture several varieties have been successfully spray thinned. The material used was D.N.B.P. (Dinitro secondary butyl phenol). Spraying with this material considerably reduces but does not eliminate hand thinning

Summary of experimental results with sweet lupins 1971

Medina and Shenton Park. Uniharvest lupins These experiments dealt with time of application of 245TP and showed fairly conclusively that it should be .applied just before the first flowers open. All later times of application reduced flower set. Optimum time of application gave approximately the same weight of crop as the controls but the plants in both trials were illfigated and not stressed. BADGINGARR

Root growth of apple trees

IT will surprise even experienced growers to know that an apple tree in W.A. needs twice the quantity of roots the same tree would need in a more temperate climate such as England\u27s

Hormone sprays for apricots

VARIOUS hormone sprays have been applied to apricots with the object of increasing fruit size and hastening maturity, and of these 245TA, the tri-ethanol amine salt of 245 trichlorophenoxyacetic acid, has in general, proved the most successful. The increase in fruit diameter obtained with this spray in Western Australia has varied between 5 and 15 per cent, and is due to an increase in the size of the cells within the fruit, not to the production of a greater number of cells

Research report : chemical thinning of apples

MANY progressive fruit growers have adopted spray thinning of apples, and have found that it pays well. More widespread adoption to reduce costs of production in the face of returns which show no tendency to rise, would benefit the apple industry. For this reason improved recommendations have been formulated, based on local research

Better rootstocks for apple trees

Mailing Merton rootstocks have given the best results in ten years\u27 trials with apple rootstocks on Stoneville Research Station and on growers\u27 properties. THE type of rootstock used imparts important characteristics to an apple tree. Tree size and stability, cropping characteristics, susceptibility to soil-borne pests and diseases and, to some extent, fruit quality are all affected by the choice of rootstock

Fertiliser recommendations for citrus : detailed fertilizer programmes for citrus growers

CITRUS growers should adopt a well balanced fertiliser programme to safeguard tree health, cropping and fruit quality. While moderate dressings are a wise insurance in most situations the rates required vary with tree age and soil type. The recommendations are given in detail in the tables in this article